Edo Guber Poll: Tribunal Rules March 20

Edo State Election Petition Tribunal Chairman, Justice Olabanji Orinolishe has fixed March 20 for judgment in the election petition filed by the Action Congress (AC) governorship candidate, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole against the declaration of Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the Governor of Edo State.Justice Orinolishe fixed the judgment day yesterday after receiving the written addresses of the parties involved in the case – AC, PDP and INEC and giving each of them ten minutes to address the Tribunal.Addressing the 5-member Tribunal at the end of the trial in Benin, Counsel to INEC, Mr. Rowland Otaru (SAN) submitted that the petitioner abandoned the issues for determination as espoused by the Tribunal and went on a “voyage of discovery”.

He contended that in accordance with the rules as outline in the Practice Direction any attempt by any party to deviate from the issues for determination as directed by the Tribunal amount to an abandonment of the case of the petitioner. Meanwhile, President, Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC), Abdulwahab Umar and top officials of the apex labour body have vowed to sustain the defense of the mandate given to the former NLC President, Adam Oshiomhole .At a procession in parts of Benin yesterday as a mark of solidarity with his predecessor in office , Umar who led other top labour leaders also reaffirmed NLC's position that the chairman of the Independent National Election Commission(INEC), Maurice Iwu should be sacked immediately to save the country’s democracy from collapse.

The NLC and civil society top officials were in Benin to witness the final hearing in the election petition filed by Oshiomhole challenging the conduct of the April 14, 2007 election which declared his Peoples Democratic Party 's counterpart winner. In attendance at the tension-soaked sitting were the Governor, Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor, Deputy Governor Lucky Imasuen and Comrade Adams Oshiomhole former President of NLC and governorship candidate of AC as well as President of NLC ,Comrade Omar. The procession which took off from the premises of the Appeal Court in a long motorcade through some major streets, cutting off at the airport road, commenced shortly after the Tribunal chairman had fixed March 20 as judgment day.